Artfactories

The association "Autresparts", set up in September 2000, is a think-tank bringing together cultural actors and researchers on the relationship between art, territory and society. It merged in November 2007 with the Artfactories association, an European resource center on brownfields transformed into artistic spaces.

Founded in France in 1999, ALISSAR is an independent structure. It has
as a mission to initiate artistic and cultural exchanges with the Arab
World that brings forth mutual sharing and understanding.
Having as an objective to encourage all exchanges and initiatives aiming
at establishing new artistic collaborations with the Arab world, ALISSAR
addresses itself to artists and professionals of the performing arts.

Its activities are formulated around three axes :
1- Information and consultancy
2- Co-ordination and follow-up
3- Projects, conception and research

Thus, with the help of many French, European and Arab institutions,
ALISSAR connects the various artists together and acts as an interface
between them and the cultural decision makers, encouraging a vertical
exchange (North-South) as well as a horizontal one (South-South). Its
vocation is to create networks that facilitate the passage of
information and the orientation of the artists towards the various
cultural structures in Europe and the Arab world. It also provides its
expertise to project initiators in order to help them find partners, to
connect them with the various corresponding initiatives and to bring
them together with all other similar approaches liable to develop
projects with mutual interests. Finally, with the aim of giving French
and European audiences a better image and a clearer understanding of
Arab cultures, it helps the cultural institutions to better expose and
publicize the Arab linked projects that they host.

In addition to the International artists meeting in Amman, ALISSAR is
currently developing other projects, mainly the creation of an Internet
Web Site to act as an information and resource center concerning the
artistic creation in the Arab world.

ALISSAR is the Arabic name of Dido : Tyrenian princess and legendary
founder of Carthage (IXth century) honored as the founding goddess of
the city.